Picture taken 2012 along Union Hill RD - Prints are available - click image for order form

There are several locations in the Ennis area where you might capture some animals in your photos. Here are some of the more consistent locations with animals. As requested, I have added some notes about the gear I carry and what might be good to have on hand.

Longhorns: Everyone loves to find those longhorns in the bluebonnets. Along Union RD west of the intersection with Andrews RD there usually are a few longhorns in a pasture. The pasture is not always consistently covered with bluebonnets nor are the longhorns close the fence. In 2012, I passed by this spot and the longhorns were way back in the pasture which was too far for my Canon 7D with the max 135mm lens I had on it. However, I had purchased a small all in one zoom (Canon SX20IS) that had a longer reach. So I used the SX20IS for the attached image.

(Remember I have been in "scout" mode for the past 15 years, so my camera gear was set up to allow me to travel over long distances and take lots of journalistic photos for my reports. For long time I had a Canon 10D with 28-135mm zoom attached. I now have a Canon 7D with a new version of that some 28-135mm lens. Since 2012, I have also had an all in one SLR like camera. I will write about my new one the SX50HS later. If you want to shoot a certain type of images then you equip yourself with the lens and supporting equipment for that. So for landscapes a wide angle (24mm to 35mm) or zoom that supports wide angle is best. For close ups shots a handy zoom that has a small minimum distance or "macro" setting. For macro shots, a dedicated macro lens. My two cameras actually support all of those options, but not necessary at the highest possible quality. Ok back to the animals.)

Horses: Sometimes you can find them along Sugar Ridge RD at FM-660. In the past several years there have been some along FM-813 The ones at FM-813 are usually close the fence. See this photo: http://www.pbase.com/richo/image/149854574

Cows: Best place is along Andrews RD, there are other locations around. In 2013, I purchased my Canon SX50HS which supports RAW images, decent image quality and a 24mm to 1200mm zoom range. This camera is even being used by some professional travel bloggers. If you cannot afford an expensive SLR then check out the SX50HS. Hurry because the newer replacement is out and does not have as good image quality (and NO I do not sell them or work for Canon). I took the SX50HS to Europe last year as my only camera and it provided all I needed - I will be sharing images from that trip later. In this image that day the cows were in the back pasture, but I was able to get this shot: http://www.pbase.com/richo/image/149825028

Cattle egrets: Often in regions of Texas particularly in the Brenham area you will see cattle being followed by an entourage of birds. Mostly these are cattle egrets. The egrets follow the cattle to catch some of the insects the cattle might disturb. They have also been known to pick off flies and ticks from the cattle. In the image above you can spot the egrets around the cows in the image. Here is a flock of them near a pond. http://www.pbase.com/richo/image/77352234